Short Breaks in Northamptonshire Service Statement 2016
Contents About our Short Breaks Services Statement 3 What are Short Breaks? 4 Short Break Eligibility Criteria 5 Short Breaks Services 6-7 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities 8 The Local Offer 9 Transport 10 Transition to Adult Services 11 Tom s Story 12 The Local Offer: Short Breaks Facilities 13-14 Contact Us 15 2
About our Short Breaks Services Statement This information is for families living in Northamptonshire who have a child or young person with a disability and/or sensory impairment. It includes information on the purpose of the Short Breaks Services Statement and the range of Short Breaks available in Northamptonshire. All local authorities must have a Short Breaks Services Statement for carers/parents that outlines the following: The range of Short Breaks available The criteria by which services can be assessed How the range of Short Break services is designed to meet the needs of children and young people with a disability Our Short Breaks Services Statement was developed in partnership with children and young people, parents and carers to ensure it remains relevant to all. The statement is compliant with The Equality Act 2010 and uses this to develop all provision with reasonable adjustments. 3
What are Short Breaks? Short Breaks aim to benefit children and young people with disabilities, complex health needs, and/or sensory impairments. Children and young people are offered experiences that foster and improve their individual and social development. Short Breaks can occur at different times during the day or evening; overnight or on weekends, and can span a few hours or a number of days. They can also be offered in various locations ranging from the family home, a carer s home, a residential setting, or as part of a plan to offer specialist additional support by enabling access to a universal or specialist community facility or service. The type of service and the allocated time is dependent on the assessed need for the child and/or young person. Northamptonshire County Council believes that the success of Short Breaks has continued to: Reduce social isolation Give greater access to leisure facilities Support the development of friendship/peer networks Enable personal development Provide a safe, enjoyable, educational experience that promotes the well-being of children and young people 4
Short Break Eligibility Criteria Service How needs are identified Consultation with Type of Provision Universal Provision available to all Self - referral Child/young person and parent/carer Clubs, sport and leisure facilities, group activities and family breaks Targeted Services and Early Help available to those who need additional services beyond Universal Services (Provision) Assessment completed by the service provider Child/young person, parent/carer and service coordinator Services such as Specialist Schools and Community Clubs Specialist Services available to individuals who have additional needs beyond Targeted Services Children s Social Care and identified provider assessment Child/young person, parent/carer, involved professionals, keyworkers Home support, domiciliary care, direct payments, overnights, sessional support 5
Short Breaks Services Universal services Northampton County Council is committed to ensuring children and young people with disabilities are able to access and enjoy all the services and settings in their community that their non disabled peers do. For this reason, we will support all mainstream holiday clubs, after school clubs, nurseries or other provisions to ensure they can provide a safe and fun short break facility for disabled children and young people, as required by the Equality Act 2010. Most of the children and young people in Northamptonshire who require services will receive them through universal services within their local community/ area. Northamptonshire is committed to this being true for children and young people with a disability. Universal services provision, for example, sport clubs, youth clubs, libraries and children s centres, are vital in ensuring that children and young people with disabilities enjoy themselves with friends and their peer groups. 6
Targeted Services and Early Help Some children and young people with disabilities will need to access services and provisions at a targeted level. This is usually because they have more complex needs or have other issues which mean that universal services may not fit their individual needs. Northamptonshire County Council continues to support the development of targeted short break services for disabled children and young people. These are either provided directly by Northamptonshire County Council or funded by the Council and provided under contract by a school or third sector organisation. As a consequence of this we have provided the following short break services at targeted level: A commitment to offer seven days of short break during the summer holiday. This is the time parents have consistently told us is the most difficult. Funding for six After School Clubs for disabled children and young people. This ranges across special schools, academies and third sector organisations. We intend to grow this further. Seven Saturday Clubs for children and young people with disabilities offering the opportunity of enjoyable leisure activities and a rest for parents and carers. Activity and play days during the summer holiday for disabled children and young people. Establishment of ten Holiday Clubs for disabled children and young people, offering breaks during summer holidays and other school holidays. Five further Holiday and Saturday Clubs specifically for children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Youth Clubs specifically for young people with disabilities. A specialist sitting service to provide qualified child minders as sitters for disabled children and young people in their own home whilst parents or carers take a break outside the family environment. Special funding is available to assist children and young people to attend these activities. Please contact the Local Offer for more information. Early help means providing support as soon as the problem emerges, at any point in the child s life, from the foundation years, through to the teenage years. Effective early help relies upon local agencies working together to: Identify children and families who would benefit from early help Undertake an assessment of the need for early help Provide targeted early help services to address the assessed needs of the child and their family Specialist services Northamptonshire County Council recognises that children and young people with a disability may require services at a specialist level. To access services at this level, a referral must be made to the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0300 126 1000. A social care assessment will then be completed by the Children with Disabilities Team. If the assessment shows the need for services beyond those listed above, other types of short break may be more appropriate. These include: Domiciliary care within the child or young person s own home Overnight short breaks within the home of another family Overnight short breaks within a residential home In lieu of the above services families may instead receive Direct Payments or a Personal Budget. The Council has commissioned and contracted services to provide a Direct Payment Support Service to families who wish to explore this option. Direct payments can only be used to purchase a service that meets the identified needs of the child/ young person. They may be used to purchase services that directly support the child or young person such as a carer to assist with personal care needs being met or to accompany the child or young person in the community and enable them to access social inclusion activities. 7
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities In line with the Children and Families Act 2014, Northamptonshire County Council is changing the way it provides support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Education, Health and Care Plans are replacing statements of Special Educational Needs and Learning Difficulty Assessments (section 139a s). They include information and support plans about the child s and/or young person s special educational needs, as well as health and social care needs when and where relevant. For some, the plans will continue into further education and training up to the age of 25 years. All children and young people who have an Education, Health and Care Plan will have the option to request a personally managed budget. 8
The Local Offer The Local Offer outlines what help, support and services are available for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families in Northamptonshire up to the age of 25 in line with the Children and Families Act 2014. The Local Offer provides: information about education, social care and health services, as well as services provided by voluntary and community groups information about services for children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans, as well as those without describes the criteria for getting support The Local Offer is published and updated on the internet and is available in other formats on request. Northamptonshire County Council Local Offer website provides information about Education, Social Care, Health, parental support and activities for children/young people and their families. Please visit www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/localoffer 9
Transport Parents and carers are expected and encouraged to transport their children to and from activities. We do understand and appreciate that transport can be challenging in a county of the size of Northamptonshire. Northamptonshire County Council acknowledge that transport can be a barrier to accessing short breaks, and that transport problems can reduce the positive outcomes achieved through short breaks. We will continue to support local groups and services to become more accessible, so that less use of transport is required. We will also continue to work with partners and the Northamptonshire County Council Transport Service to enable providers, where possible, to take responsibility for transport arrangements. Community and voluntary transport is designed to help those who are unable to use public transport because of age, disability or lack of a public transport service. These schemes are operated directly by community organisations with each organisation offering different levels of service. 10
Transition to Adult Services Short Breaks help to promote preparation for adulthood for young people and their families. The development of friendships, relationships and community participation is essential. Age appropriate Short Breaks such as those accessed via universal provision, including youth clubs and holiday clubs, enable young people to develop confidence and promote independence. Children and young people can engage in activities in a safe and caring environment where they can build friendships, be part of their community and help to raise their aspirations. Universal and targeted services enable young people and their families to have choice and control in making decisions about age appropriate activities. Short Breaks promotes opportunities for developing independent life skills and community inclusion. Short Breaks can facilitate and support young people as they prepare for adulthood. 11
Tom s Story Whilst knowing that we as a family needed to have some respite for Tom one of the most important things in making that decision was that it was something that Tom was going to get a lot out of and really enjoy doing. The last thing we as parents wanted was for Tom to feel pushed out or him to feel we didn t want him around. There are of course then the obvious worries of whether anyone else could look after him properly and meet his needs! Whenever we picked him up from a visit the first thing he would ask was when he could go again! Once we had made the decision to go down the route of Link Family and we had been allocated a family who would like to have Tom we didn t look back. Tom thoroughly enjoyed his visits to his Link Family as they always made sure that he did the activities which he loved i.e., going out for meals, cooking, playing on the ipod and going shopping. Whenever we picked him up from a visit the first thing he would ask was when he could go again! This really reassured us that he was more than happy to go away for these visits and certainly didn t feel neglected by us. Tom always talks very fondly of his Link Family visits and still has good relationships with the family and sees them regularly. Once Tom turned 18 his Link Family visits sadly had to come to an end and we had to look for an alternative way to meet his needs with overnight respite. Fortunately we have found a local company who offer such a service and Tom is really enjoying his time with them. He has the continuity of a main carer with them but lots of opportunities to socialise with the other staff and young people using the service. I guess its a little bit more grown up and Tom enjoys the opportunity of going out with the lads. Its very flexible and they are more than happy for Tom to continue doing any of his normal routine clubs etc and will drop him off and pick him up when necessary. As a family it works really well as we have a set pattern of when Tom stays and then some extra nights for the odd weekend etc if we want to do something with our other son which may prove difficult with Tom in his wheelchair. All in all it works very well for us and we all gain from it. 12
The Local Offer: Short Breaks Facilities (1) NAME Lifestyle Choices TYPE OF SERVICE National Organisation LOCATION PHONE EMAIL Brackley 01280 840049 cberry@livability.org.uk The Green Patch Short Breaks Service Groups, Clubs & Activities Kettering 01536521555 vicky.coates@groundwork.org.uk Northamptonshire Children s Specialist Community Nursing Holiday Breaks Partnership Disabled Children s Service Health Services Kettering 01536 452232 NA Groups, Clubs & Activities Northampton N/A N/A Social Care Solutions Adulthood Northampton 01604 497518 enquiries@socialcaresolutions. com Family Link Social Care Services Northampton 0300 126 1000 familylink@northamptonshire.gov. uk 1 Willow Close Social Care Services Northampton 01604 588657 N/A John Greenwood Shipman Centre - Respite Care Social Care Services Northampton 01604 491756 N/A Olympus Care - Social And Leisure Activities Groups, Clubs & Activities Northampton 01604 366000 accessteam@ olympuscareservices.co.uk The Martins The Squirrels Social Care Services Social Care Services Rushden 01536 410141 N/A Rushden 01536 410141 N/A 82 Northampton Road Health Services Wellingborough 01933 225289 shortbreaks@nhft.nhs.uk Access - Day Provision Adulthood Wellingborough 01933 270448 accessprovision@fsmail.net Local Town Brackley Corby Daventry Kettering Northampton Oundle Rushden Towcester Wellingborough Outside of authority Other: multiple locations Short Breaks Social Care Services London 01933 653 200 northamptonshire@nas.org.uk Papworth Trust - Short Breaks Social Care Services Cambridge 0800 952 5000 info@papworthtrust.org.uk Kids Social Care Services London 0207 359 3073 enquiries.ndd@kids.org.uk Dimensions Social Care Services Reading 0300 303 9001 enquiries@dimensions-uk.org Scope National Organisation London 020 7619 7100 or 0808 800 3333 helpline@scope.org.uk 13
The Local Offer: Short Breaks Facilities (2) Sense NAME TYPE OF SERVICE National Organisation LOCATION PHONE EMAIL London 0300 330 9250 info@sense.org.uk Paul s Place Groups, Clubs & Activities N/A 01271 891 076 paulsfund11@virginmedia.com Northamptonshire The Respite Association Social Care Services Boston 01775 820176 help@respiteassociation.org React - Grants National Organisation Richmond 020 8940 2575 react@reactcharity.org The Act Foundation Finance & Funding Windsor 01753 753900 info@theactfoundation.co.uk Home Care Solutions Social Care Services Newport Pagnell 01908 211799 enquiries@homecare-solutions. com Blitz Holiday (Holiday for the Disabled) Social Care Services Blackpool 01253 341218 sales@bondhotel.co.uk Living With Autism - Respite Social Care Services Peterborough 01733 315 793 care@livingwithautismltd.co.uk 3h Fund - Grants For Holidays National Organisation Tunbridge Wells 01892 860207 info@3hfund.org.uk Ate - Superweeks - Residential Camps Groups, Clubs & Activities Malvern 0845 456 1205 info@ate.org.uk The National Holiday Fund For Sick Children - Respite Social Care Services Hemsby 01493 731235 office@nhfcharity.co.uk Bruce Wake Charity - Boating Holidays For The Disabled National Organisation Oakham 0844 879 3349 N/A Contact A Family - Guide For The Holidays Groups, Clubs & Activities London 0808 808 3555 helpline@cafamily.org.uk Local Town Brackley Corby Daventry Rushden Towcester Wellingborough Camp Quality Uk - Life Limiting Conditions -Grants Bespoke France - Holidays For Disabled Children Guideposts Trust - Short Breaks Groups, Clubs & Activities Birmingham 0121 288 4745 See website: www.campquality.org.uk National Organisation N/A 01626 852981 info@bespokefrance.co.uk Social Care Services N/A 01993 893560 cyps@guideposts.org.uk Kettering Northampton Oundle Outside of authority Other: multiple locations Kids Direct - Short Breaks - Northamptonshire Caudwell Children National Organisation National Organisation N/A 03330 142 990 enquiries@disabledchildren.org.uk N/A 0345 300 1348 charity@caudwellchildren.com 14
Contact Us: For more information, or if you would like this information in another language or format: Telephone: 0300 126 1000 Email: localoffer@northamptonshire.gov.uk Website: www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/localoffer 15
Short Breaks in Northamptonshire 2016